ELY — After years of planning, the city of Ely officially opened its new Regional Trail Building last Wednesday.
The $4 million facility, strategically positioned at the western entrance to the city, will serve as a hub for the region’s extensive trail network that now provides access to 350 miles of recreational paths for hikers, bikers, ATV riders, and snowmobilers.
“It connects us in different ways,” said Mayor Heidi Omerza at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “It connects us to the great outdoors, and I think that is so important in this day and age that we need to be connected to the outside.”
The project’s roots trace back to 2006, when city officials first envisioned a centralized facility to serve the area’s growing trail network. Harold Langowski, Ely’s city clerk, explained that what began as a simple concept drawing evolved through “many iterations” and multiple funding requests over nearly two decades.
Financing proved to be a challenge, requiring multiple bonding bills totaling $2.8 million from the state legislature, plus a $1.5 million federal tourism grant. The Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board contributed an additional $250,000, funded through mining production taxes.
“Bonding money is hard to get,” acknowledged State Representative Roger Skraba, who championed the project during his time as mayor and continued advocating for it as a legislator. “It took three mayors to get this across the line.”
The building’s location was itself a point of contention. Former Mayor Chuck Novak recalled pushing for the current site over Skraba’s preference for a different location, arguing that visibility from the main entrance to town was crucial.
“We can see it coming into town,” Novak said, explaining his rationale for the chosen location on property the city acquired through a land exchange with St. Louis County.
The facility addresses a growing need as Ely has transformed from a former mining town into a destination for outdoor recreation. The building will serve multiple user groups, including the Prospectors Loop ATV trail, North Country Trail hikers, and the Mesabi Trail cyclists, among others.
Commissioner Ida Rukavina of the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board emphasized the project’s economic development potential.
“This got done because of the hard work of your city and Harold, the mayors, the trail people, your county commissioners, your legislators,” she said.
The building includes amenities such as locker rooms for visitors to change clothes before and after their outdoor activities — a feature Skraba highlighted as essential for attracting metro-area visitors who drive up for day trips.
Tanner Spicer, representing the Ely Chamber of Commerce, sees the facility as a catalyst for the local economy.
“Not only will people be here and enjoy the trails, but they’re going to go downtown and they’re going to eat at all the restaurants, shop at all the stores, stay in all the hotels and resorts,” he said.